The gift of tongues is a sign that follows believers in Jesus Christ.

“And these signs shall follow them that believe, In my name shall they cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues, They shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them, they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:17 Bible verse).

Some Christians believe that the gift of tongues is a heavenly language and not an earthly language. Others believe that Christians can prophesy and preach in tongues. What are tongues? Must all speak in tongues? Is there just a gift or many gifts of tongues?

The Greek word translated tongues literally means “languages”. To understand the gift of tongues, we must understand its manifestation in the early church. In the Bible, the manifestation of the gift of tongues is recorded in the book of Acts. The first manifestation of the gift of tongues was on the day of Pentecost. Another manifestation of the gift of tongues was in the house of Cornelius.

First Manifestation of the Gift of Tongues

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine (Acts 2:1-12 Bible verse).

Second Manifestation of the Gift of Tongues

Peter was still speaking when the Holy Spirit came upon all who listened to the Word. And the believers of Jewish origin who had come with Peter were amazed, “Why! God gives and pours the Holy Spirit on foreigners also!” For indeed this happened: they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God (Acts 10.46 Bible verse).

1) “Tongues” means languages: The disciples spoke with “other tongues”. Native Jews from every nation on the earth (expatriates) were at Jerusalem for the feast of the Pentecost. They heard the disciples speak in their respective overseas languages.

2) Tongues are earthly languages: The Jews who never left their country didn’t know the languages the disciples spoke. But the Jews who had left their country and lived in other nations understood them. The language was a mystery to the Jews who never left their country because they couldn’t understand it. A mystery is something that’s hard or impossible to understand. The Jews who lived in other nations were surprised that the disciples who have never lived in foreign countries could speak languages they hadn’t learned. The Jews who never left their country and couldn’t understand thought the disciples were drunk. The languages spoken weren’t just random or heavenly, but they were languages that people on earth speak and understand.

3) The tongues were words of praise: On the day of Pentecost, the disciples were magnifying God and declaring His wondrous works. In the house Cornelius, the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages offering words of praise to God.

4) The tongues were words spoken to God: Their words were directed to God and not to men. They were loud in their praises, such that it pulled a crowd including the native speakers of the various languages (native Jewish expatriates).

The writings of Apostle Paul to the Corinthians do not contradict the manifestation of the gift on Pentecost or in Cornelius’ house:

The tongues were different earthly languages of men

Pentecost: The native Jewish expatriates of each country under heaven understood their respective languages
Apostle Paul: “I give thanks to God because I speak in tongues more than all of you” (1 Corinthians 14.18 Bible verse). Apostle Paul could speak many foreign languages.

Tongues are spoken to communicate with God and are not for prophesy or preaching

Pentecost: The disciples were praising God and declaring his wondrous works. Praises are made unto God and not unto men.
Apostle Paul: “The one who speaks in tongues does not speak to people, but to God (1 Corinthians 14.2 Bible verse).

An unknown tongue (langauge) is a mystery (something we don’t understand)

Pentecost: The Jews who hadn’t left their home country didn’t understand what the apostles were saying and thought they were drunk. When people hear a language they don’t know, it’s like a mystery to them, unless someone translates it for them.
Apostle Paul: “…For no one understands him, the spirit makes him say things that are not understandable” (1 Corinthians 14.2 Bible verse). There are many languages in the world, and each of them has meaning, but if I cannot find any meaning in what is said, I become a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker to me… (1 Corinthians 14.17 Bible verse).

The gift of tongues serves as a sign for unbelieves and is not intended for prophecy or preaching.

Pentecost: The faith of the unbelieving expatriate Jews was stirred when they heard the strangers speak in their overseas languages. Not only did the disciples speak in the languages of the foreign Jews, they were also glorying God before the unbelieving Jews. This was a sign that God was with the disciples. There was no prophesying or preaching in tongues.
Apostle Paul: “God says in the Law: ‘I will speak to this people through those talking other tongues and through lips of foreigners, but even so they will not listen to me. Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not” (1 Corinthians 14.21-22 Bible verse). The gift of tongues is different from the gift of prophecy (1 Corinthians 14.4, 1 Cor.14.5 Bible verse).

There are many tongues but there is just one gift of tongues & one gift of interpretation

Pentecost: The disciples spoke in many tongues (languages). The manifestation of the gift of tongues on Pentecost was same manifestation with that in Cornelius house. The same kind of manifestation means it is the same gift. It is just one gift.
Apostle Paul: “To one it is given from the spirit…… the gift (not gifts) of different tongues and to another the interpretation of tongues” (1 Corinthians 12.10 Bible verse). In a gathering of believers who haven’t left their homeland, there needs to be someone who can translate before anyone speaks in a foreign language. That’s the only way the church can be strengthened. When the church hears and understands the words of praise, they can say Amen (1 Corinthians 14:13-17). If there aren’t any foreign unbelievers in the meeting, there’s no real need to speak in a foreign language unless there’s someone to translate. Without translation, it could confuse the believers who haven’t left their homeland (1 Corinthians 14:23). Speaking in tongues is a sign for people who are from other countries or who don’t believe in the same things.

Signs of Fake “Speaking in Tongues”

Any “speaking in tongues” is fake if:

1) its manifestation is different from all the manifestations in the New Testament (on the day of Pentecost and in the house of Cornelius).

2) its manifestation contradicts the writings of Apostle Paul.

What is the gift of tongues?

The gift of tongues is when someone can speak a language from another country that they’ve never learned before. When they speak in this language, they’re talking to God, not to other people, using words of prayer, praise, and thanks. This kind of language should only be spoken out loud as a sign when there are people in the audience who don’t believe and speak that foreign language, either because they’re from that country or because they’ve lived there. Believers don’t really need to see this sign, but they can learn something good from it if they understand the language. If everyone in the audience speaks that foreign language, they’ll understand it, but if they don’t, then someone needs to explain what’s being said.

Praying in an unknown tongue

Praying in tongues are words spoken to God in a foreign earthly language that has never been learned, by the power of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 14.13-17 Bible verse). When we pray in tongues, our minds remain idle for we do not understand what we speak.

Praying in a native language

Praying in a native language are words spoken to God in a native earthly language learned from birth. I understand every word because it is my native tongue. When I pray in my own language, my mind is fruitful.

The Holy Spirit’s Prayer

The Holy Spirit has the ability to pray to God on our behalf. When the Holy Spirit prays, it’s a prayer without words; sometimes, only a groaning sound is heard as the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. His prayers are perfect because they align with the will of God.

“We are weak, but the Spirit comes to help us. How to ask? And what shall we ask for? We do not know, but the spirit intercedes for us without words, as if with groans. And He who sees inner secrets knows the desires of the Spirit, for he asks for the holy ones what is pleasing to God” (Romans 8.26-27 Bible verse).

The Gift of Tongues Today

In the early church, not everyone who received the Holy Spirit could speak in tongues (1 Corinthians 12:30). All believers who are filled with the Spirit don’t necessarily speak in tongues. In our time, there might be a few people who truly have the gift of speaking in tongues. If they do, they should be careful to use it only when there are foreign unbelievers in the gathering or when there are interpreters, to prevent confusion and disorder. The main purpose of this gift is to strengthen the faith of people who don’t believe. Anything that doesn’t serve this purpose should be avoided. Nowadays, there are many fake tongues and strange behaviors that scare away non-believers. Some people just babble, while others repeat the same sounds over and over. Anyone can babble or repeat sounds, and anyone can pretend to be in a certain mood. We need to make sure that what we’re speaking is a real language that exists on Earth. We must be careful not to get involved in evil spiritual activities. We need to be sure that our tongues are really from the Holy Spirit. It’s possible that the true gift of tongues has become less common. As mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13:8, prophecies may stop, tongues may become less common, and knowledge may decrease. We shouldn’t be tempted to fake speaking in tongues just to fill the gap.

God had said through the prophets in the Old Testament that He would speak to the Jewish people using the sign of other languages spoken by native Jewish people from other countries (1 Corinthians 14:21). This may have already been fulfilled. So, we’re not sure if the Lord meant for this gift to only be temporary during the early church era in Israel. God used these signs of languages to speak to the Jews who didn’t believe. Many signs and wonders were done by the Holy Spirit through the early church. The Jews wouldn’t believe in the Messiah unless they saw signs. Most of them changed their ways only after seeing the signs done by the Lord and His followers (John 2:23, John 4:48, John 6:2, John 6:30, John 7:31, Acts 1:3, Acts 8:6). Gentiles aren’t as moved by signs. They accept the gospel easily once they see the truth, even without seeing a sign or miracle. “Jews require a sign, and Greeks look for wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:22). Most Jewish people believed because of signs. Signs were given to them to strengthen their faith.